Do I offer to work for free?

I emailed a few firms in the area and got a response from HR at one of them asking for a resume. After I submitted a resume, he never responded so I followed up about a week later, and he replied saying they're not hiring off cycle interns this semester. Should I respond and tell him I'm not looking to get paid or anything, and really just want work experience? or should I email an MD/banker there instead? I don't want to seem obnoxious, but they were one of the few responses I got, so I want to follow it through

7 Comments
 

I wouldn't recommend offering your services for free - it makes you sound desperate and if a firm, especially if it's small, knows that you're working for free, will treat you differently (may give you crappy or admin admin tasks). I've had friends who've done it before and they've had ok experiences at best.

Better course of action would be to avoid going through HR. Find an MD/banker there instead and try to convince them that it's worth hiring you even if you're off-cycle (not sure why it would matter - they have work year-round and can always use interns)...Good luck

 

See if you can connect with someone through linkedin. If you find some bankers on linkedin, pick up a phone, and call them up, or e-mail them (you can guess their e-mail since you have one from HR)...

You may not mind working for free, but once you're there and you're doing crap work and you know that they can easily be paying you, you won't be happy...

 
bhartman98See if you can connect with someone through linkedin. If you find some bankers on linkedin, pick up a phone, and call them up, or e-mail them (you can guess their e-mail since you have one from HR)...

You may not mind working for free, but once you're there and you're doing crap work and you know that they can easily be paying you, you won't be happy...

Ari Gold: Of course he's not happy. Nobody's happy in this town except for the losers. Look at me, I'm miserable; that's why I'm rich.

 

Ipsum enim reprehenderit voluptatibus aut maiores. Quidem quae fuga aliquid enim. Eveniet maxime quod iusto et.

Cupiditate similique alias est minus. Maiores et eligendi nemo id nobis. Nostrum autem et autem non aliquid incidunt. Tempore laboriosam qui iste magni.

Eum explicabo voluptatem ab iusto tempore. Sint ea quaerat deleniti sint sed velit. Consectetur consequatur illum non et iste id qui nulla.

XX

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”